


Bodies - The Ungodly Science of Kotaro Tatsumi

by RatboyThin



Category: Zombieland Saga (Anime)
Genre: Gen, Horror, Supernatural Elements, actually don't read this unless you've watched the show come to think of it, spoilers for episode 12 of zombieland saga, this is mostly headcanons n theories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2019-10-04 19:50:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17310779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RatboyThin/pseuds/RatboyThin
Summary: Set between Sakura's death and the events of Zombieland Saga. Still overcome with the death of his childhood friend, Sakura Minamoto, social shut-in Inui is set to bring her back from the dead to make her dream of becoming an idol come true. Befriending local immortal Xu Fu, Inui assumes a new identity as necroducer Kotaro Tatsumi and sets to the task of A. bringing his best friend back. B. making her dreams come true.





	1. Prologue - The Creature Stirs

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO so this is my first fic for zombieland saga.. for future readers that know what happens this was written when nobody had a fuckin clue who kotaro really was or how exactly the girls were revived. I decided to take a more Frankenstein approach? anyways pls do enjoy

The apparatus had all been set up. Large, whirring generators were placed in each corner of the attic, and on the operating table lay the test subject - a wax figurine of a woman, thousands of individual black hairs sewn into her scalp and a gown covering her body. Wires had been stabbed into the figurine, and poured down her throat were ashes - her ashes. Kotaro figured that to aid the resurrecting process the original DNA would be needed, but as with every dead person in Japan, only the ashes remained. Whatever. They would have to do. Kotaro couldn't help but wonder if this would really work - bringing an actual corpse back to life was one thing, but trying to animate an effigy that merely had a DNA sample seemed a completely different task altogether. As he scoured the room, flipping the switch for the generators, Kotaro began to wonder if he'd gone mad. This was a taboo like no other - to bring back the dead was to try and play god, after all. However, he had come this far, done his research and played his cards. Even if he couldn't resurrect a human, at least he could say he tried.

  
"Here goes nothing."

  
Electricity already surging overwhelmingly into the effigy, Kotaro threw open the attic window. Outside, the weather was miserable, the sky as black as ink and rain hitting the ground like bullets, thousands and thousands of bullets. In the distance was the faint crackle of thunder, and occasionally Kotaro's vision would be completely swarmed in white as down came the lightning. What he needed - but would be rare - would be for the lightning to strike the effigy. One billion volts of pure energy and he would have done it.  
Kotaro raised the operating table, lining it up with the window as best as he could before steering clear himself; he'd seen what lightning could do to a person and did not feel like going that way himself just yet. He watched, and he waited. He grew impatient. Minutes felt like hours and just as he was ready to give up, to go and turn himself in to the police or a mental institution, it happened.

  
Ducking behind the door, Kotaro saw the lightning strike, the effigy beginning to convulse like an animal in pain as electricity visibly circulated around her body. Trying not to be electrocuted himself, Kotaro eased around the generators, trying to find the emergency switch. Once he did, he yanked it down and the effigy stopped convulsing. Kotaro pulled the operating table down from the window, quickly shutting it before observing what had happened.

  
The effigy was miraculously unscathed by the strike, for there were no burns or damage to her vessel other than a discolouration of the skin. Oh god. She started bleeding, bleeding profusely as she started to twitch. Kotaro audibly gasped, before rushing back downstairs to find bandages like a mouse, clambering his way back to the attic and trying to heal her before she bled out in a crazed panic. She'd started groaning, perhaps in pain? Either way, Kotaro started tenderly wrapping the bandages around cuts that had suddenly sprouted from her neck, leg, torso and head. Just what the hell had happened to her when she was alive? Kotaro would have to save that question for later. For now, time to play nurse.

  
"Do you know who you are?" Kotaro asked calmly as the zombie gnawed on some squid, slumped over in a seat back downstairs. All the zombie could do was groan.  
"Oh yeah. You probably haven't woken up yet. I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you anyway."  
Silence. Now it was Kotaro's turn to groan.  
"Your name is Tae Yamada. I'm not sure who you were when you were alive, but let me tell you something. You're legendary. You're the first human being to have been raised from the dead. You are, in a way, a miracle."  
Tae turned to look at Kotaro, still eating the squid.  
"Well, at least you're listening. Anyway, enough about you. My name is Kotaro Tatsumi. I'm the legendary idol necroducer! While you're unlucky enough to have died, you're lucky enough to have brought back. By me!"  
Tae still seemed unresponsive.  
"Could you at _least_ say thank you? 'Oh, Mister Kotarooooo, thank you eeever so muuuch for bringing me baaaack!' Don't zombies have manners?"  
Tae groaned in response to Kotaro's yelling.  
"Ehh, whatever. I'll take that. Aaaaaanyway, you, my dear little zombie friend, you are about to be a part of something extraordinary. You'll have to wait before I tell you what is though! I gotta gather more groupies before I tell you all what it is. Just thought you should know! Oh, and one more thing."  
Kotaro held out a bit of squid for Romero, who came up and snatched it from his hand and started tearing it apart.  
"Don't go trying to leave the mansion. If you do, little Romero here will tear you limb from limb. That's all for now."

  
Kotaro retired to his office.


	2. The Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kotaro Tatsumi, known previously and by many as just Mr Inui, struggles to cope with the death of his fellow classmate and best friend, Sakura Minamoto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like i rushed this chapter too much.. the main story doesn't really begin until two years after sakura's death and if anything this is all build up to the events of the prologue at the moment. i do hope you enjoy though!

"Everyone, it is with great sorrow we must inform you of the death of a fellow classmate. Sakura Minamoto, who would have been starting her second year here two days ago, was killed in an automobile accident."

  
The silence in the auditorium inspired a low buzz of conversation across the hall, some asking who she was, some mustering up a little bit of sympathy, and a handful bawling their eyes out, though Inui knew their tears were not at all genuine and they had been prone to talking behind Sakura's back when she was alive. Throughout middle school Sakura had become more isolated and as a result many of her friends had dropped off like flies, which made her high school experience incredibly lonely. Having done bad in the entrance exams she had propelled straight into a deep, deep depression, though over the summer of 2007 had a newfound joie de vivre in the form of Iron Frill, a fairly new idol group. Iron Frill, by sorcery or some divine intervention, had managed to get Sakura back on her feet over that summer, and by the time high school started she was a new girl entirely. Inui found it quite endearing how Sakura waffled about how great Iron Frill was, how badly she wanted to be like their centre, Ai Mizuno; and delightfully delved into their songs and what the lyrics meant. But now she was gone, and with her she took a great portion of Inui too.

  
"If any of you need support, our guidance counsellor is more than willing to help."

  
Bullshit! The school couldn't care less about Sakura! They were only doing this because they needed to, not because they wanted to. At least, that was what Inui thought. Today was going to be rough, he could tell.

  
Every spare chance they got, everyone bothered him about it. Minamoto and Inui were like two peas in a pod, after all. Most, however, only knew them as the two nerds in the back of the class that would never shut up about idols - Inui couldn't possibly be coping well with this. "If you need to talk to me, Inui, I'm always here!" "It's so sad that Minamoto's gone... hope you're okay, man!"

  
Exchanges like this continued until it was time to go home. Usually, Sakura and Inui would have walked home together since they took more or less the same route home, but now... it was unbearably quiet. As cars went by, Inui couldn't help but wonder which one it was that killed her. Were they going to face charges? Would they pay any compensation to her family? Did they even care that they ended someone's life? Queries like these floated around his mind, swelling and swelling until they were the only thing he could think about. When he got home, it was even worse.

  
Inui's parents had gone out again, so for that evening he had the house to himself as well as his dog, Romero. Solitude was both what he needed the most and what he needed the least, as the silence would just encourage his thoughts even more and he would have a meltdown, but at the same time he needed some quiet time to think. Inui just couldn't accept the fact that Sakura was dead, and was never coming back. A small part of him was hoping that this was some elaborate, albeit cruel prank, and she would come back to school tomorrow. Maybe she just didn't want to go to school anymore, and she'd faked her death. Then he'd find her at her house jamming out to Iron Frill. Or maybe, just maybe, she'd ran away to become an idol just like she said she wanted to. All of these possibilities were better than her being dead.

  
Not wanting to think about it anymore, Inui dusted off the VHS player, connecting it to the TV before scavenging in his room for a movie. From a young age, Inui had been a massive fan of Hollywood's zombie genre. There was just something so entertaining about it, so versatile. You could do just about anything with zombies. In a way, he'd had a dream of his own, which was to become the next big producer of these films. Bedazzled in neon lights would be his name next to a poster of the latest film, something something zombies. He needed some cheering up, he decided, so clicked Shaun Of The Dead into the player, Romero curling up beside him.

  
An hour and a half or so went by as the film played until it got to the end, by which at this point Shaun's friend had been bitten and Shaun had taken to chaining him up in the shed where they played video games together. Having seen this film about half a dozen times, as with every zombie film he had in his collection, Inui didn't really think too much about the plot, until today. Wouldn't it be great, he thought, if somehow he could do something like that with a dead Sakura, and have his best friend back even if she was a mindless zombie? How many people, Inui thought, would want that?

  
No. That was impossible.

  
All the emotion he had been trying to keep under control that day started leaking out his eyes, but then the faucet was turned on and the facade faded as Inui started sobbing, Romero whimpering in solidarity for his owner. The weight of it all came crashing down on him, Inui feeling unable to get up or do anything other than cry. Over and over again, he cried out for Sakura, even though she would never come and comfort him. Why? Why her? Why did Sakura have to always be the one to get it the worst? Why was fate so damn cruel, couldn't she at least get to accomplish her dream or have just a little bit of happiness?

  
After what felt like an eternity Inui managed to get a hold of himself, Romero licking his arm in an attempt to comfort him. At least, if he had nobody else, Inui still had Romero. Wait, had Romero been fed? Damn you and your snivelling antics, Mr Inui! Couldn't you at least think about your dog? Come to think of it, Inui was pretty hungry too. He'd have to save his mourning for later. For now, it was time for cheap instant ramen, then a long-deserved sleep.

  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
In the following days after learning about Sakura Minamoto's death, the school atmosphere seemed to change. In class, everyone had covered what would've been Sakura's seat in messages to her and flowers, as well as a memorial in the auditorium. Everyone seemed awfully quiet, and it became commonplace for at least one person to start crying in class a day. Whispers followed Inui to and from the school gate for weeks, not that what people were saying about him were malicious - if anything, they had some level of concern for the boy. Although he'd previously criticised the school for "pretending" to care about Sakura when they didn't, Inui did give in eventually, and decided to get counselling for his bereavement, which he stayed in until he graduated.

  
A few months later, when the class of '08 had gone their separate ways, Inui found his loneliness returning. By this point he'd managed to land himself a small apartment and a job as a delivery boy, which paid his rent and put food on the table if anything else. He was still very much an idol fanboy and a zombie fanboy, the newest thing he was getting riled up about being to go to Saga Rock the following month and see Iron Frill live. When she was still around, Sakura gushed to him about her first time seeing Iron Frill live, about how magical it was and how that was possibly the best day of her life. In the meet-n-greet that followed, she even got to speak to Ai Mizuno face to face! Inui couldn't wait. These past three months had been awful and had lowered his spirits, if Saga Rock didn't cheer him up then nothing would. Mr Inui was going to return as chipper as ever.

  
At least, that's he wished had happened.


	3. The Tragedy Of August 4th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saga Rock 2008. Meeting two friends from an online forum, Inui goes to watch Iron Frill, witnessing the death of Ai Mizuno firsthand.

At last, his month of waiting was over! Saga Rock was in two days and Inui was set to go. Having lived in the Saga Prefecture his entire life, previously Inui hadn't cared much for Saga Rock, but now Iron Frill was going to be there after their outstanding debut in Kyushu the year before, he had every reason in the world to care about his favourite group being there. That, and with Saga being a rock festival anyways a lot of the bands there were very much suited to his tastes, so it wasn't like he was wasting his time or money on just one. A few friends he'd met on an online forum that were like-minded idol-loving dorks like him were going to meet him there too, so like a child on Christmas Eve Inui was practically foaming at the mouth with excitement. His parents had offered to babysit Romero for him, so that was big responsibility out of the way - he hadn't a worry in the world to care, except the obvious one, which was of course the fact his best friend had become roadkill a few months before.

Having been given the time he needed to think, Inui was nowhere near as hysterical as he had been when he first learnt about Sakura's demise. Truthfully, he was probably going to be completely heartbroken about it for a long long time, but he couldn't be morose forever. What Sakura would want more than anything else would be for him to live a happy life, rather than have her ghost burdening him. At least, that's what he'd been told by his counsellor back in school. But who cared about school now? School was out for good! Summer was upon him, and Saga Rock was just around the corner. Inui, very clearly, had much better things to think about.

"The weather over the next few days is going to be sunny, but with a chance of rain and thunderstorms in some parts of the prefecture. For all you folks going to Saga Rock this year, I'd bring a rain coat if I were you."

"Oh radio man, you should damn well wish you were me. I'm about to have the best day of my life and you're cooped up in wherever radio men coop themselves up in talkin' about the weather like a boring old man!" Inui jested. "'Bring a rain coat?' You sound like my mom."  
Inui opened the glovebox, blindly feeling around for his homemade CD that had all his favourite songs on, whether they were from his number one idol group or off the soundtrack for one of the films in his collection. A triumphant, somewhat mischievous grin erupted on his face when he brought it out.  
"Music. Come on!" he snapped his fingers as soon as the CD was in the player.

Fantastic Lovers started blasting at max volume.

As Inui drove down the busy roads of Saga, singing along to his mixtape with the kind of mediocrity one has to master to truly nail, he began to think about the festival. What was it like to be at a concert? How loud was it? Realistically, Inui was well and truly pushing himself out of his comfort zone for this; he liked a quiet life, where it was just him and maybe some close friends. Could he manage that? He figured he could - and would have to.  
It took him some time, but Inui finally found a place to park, before heading over to the main queue. Already he could hear the acts, and already he could tell he was going to enjoy himself quite a bit. Now was the matter of getting in, meeting his friends, and getting to a good spot all just before three o'clock, which was when Iron Frill would start performing. Inui checked his watch. 12:37. Good. That meant he had plenty of time to get to where he was meant to meeting his friends. Just after he got past this mile-long queue...

  
It felt like an entirely new galaxy had been born and died in the time it took before Inui got to the front of the queue and was finally let through. All around him was a sea of shirts, emanating very interesting smells for an afternoon in the scorching August heat. All Inui had as references for what his friends looked like were two pictures they had emailed him and the suggestion that they would be near the gazebos, and from there they would make it to the centre in time for Iron Frill. Question was, how on earth to get through a massive crowd of about ten thousand people? Inui would have to figure that part out himself. As for now, squeezing his way past everyone while crying "Sorry! Sorry, comin' through!" over and over again was working. That was the hardest part done. If Inui just walked under the gazebos, he'd get to his friends in no time.

  
"Inui!"

  
The two guys from the pictures were now rushing over to him, living breathing flesh. One had long, greasy black hair, and so much eyeshadow his eyes looked morbidly shrunken. The other guy was a little shorter than his friend, not to mention wider.   
"Wow, I met people from the internet that didn't turn out to be serial killers. It's my lucky day," Inui retorted, before the trio collapsed into laughter.  
"Well, you never know. Maybe we're about to drag you off into a corner and make mincemeat out of you."  
"Say your prayers, Inui!"  
"Alright, alright, put down your ice picks and your kitchen knives. May as well introduce ourselves."   
"Hizaki," The taller guy said.  
"Satoshi," said the shorter one.  
"Inui."  
"Well, now we're properly acquainted, despite speaking to each other for roughly two years, now what?" Hizaki asked. "Iron Frill doesn't come on for another hour and a half."  
"Getting through that crowd is gonna be a pain in the ass. I say we get drinks and then start making our way through the crowd." Satoshi suggested.  
"You sound like a veteran, Satoshi. You been to concerts before?" Inui asked.  
"Hell yeah! Me and Hizaki have been goin' to concerts since middle school. Girugamesh was our first."  
"Oh yeah, I've heard of them. I figured from your get-ups you were into metal."  
"Oh, really? I personally had no clue." The sarcasm was just dripping off of HIzaki's tongue. "But yeah, we're into metal. Iron Frill's a guilty pleasure of ours."  
"Fair enough. Anyway, are we getting drinks or what? It's too damn hot to be standin' around doing nothing like we are right now."  
"Lead the way, Inui."

Returning from the refreshments stand, each man having one bottle of soda more than he had at the start of the venue, Satoshi lead them through the crowd to just in front of the centre stage. From what they'd heard on the forum, Ai Mizuno was coming out here in one of their songs. That, and it was a distance from the main stage that made it so they could see the band but wouldn't have to crane their necks to look or be deafened by the music.   
"Got another 45 minutes. We're gonna be here for a while," said Inui, glancing at his watch. He looked up at the sky, which had turned a dark grey. "And I dunno about you but it looks like it's gonna rain."  
"Might as well get comfy then." Satoshi grinned. "There's other acts here that are pretty good."  
"I guess you're right."

That 45 minutes had Inui completely lost in the moment. Just the raw energy coming from both the act and the crowd was enough to have him in a wild trance. When Iron Frill came on stage, it was the highest kick of dopamine he'd ever felt in his entire life. Inui felt like he'd found the holy grail, or like he'd won the lottery. All of this was thanks to those girls.  
"Here we are, Saga!" Ai Mizuno called out to the sea of shirts, all screaming at her in joy. "It's so great to see you all today!"

A light drizzle fell upon the site.

"We're Iron Frill, and we hope you have a good time!" Ai got into position with the other girls, and it was here that Inui was well and truly under their spell, as the first song for the act started playing.

Seeing Iron Frill on TV or in DVDs Sakura lent him was one thing, but seeing them live, seeing them in person; that was an experience that could never truly be captured with words alone. It was like an affirmation that it wasn't made-up - these girls were real and this experience was real. Inui's heart throbbed. There truly was no better time than this in his life.

The light drizzle turned into a downpour. Thunder crackled overhead.

"We've now reached our last song for the afternoon. After the show you'll be able to meet us and buy our merchandise, so don't worry - this won't be the last of us. We hope to see you there, everyone! Now, let's give this last song everything we've got! It's been great having you, Saga!"  
Aside from the singing, that would be the last time the crowd would hear Ai Mizuno's voice. Of course, none of them knew it at the time. They thought they'd see her again at the meet-and-greet and in future concerts. Ai thought so too.

Iron Frill's last song was reaching its end and Ai Mizuno was about to go into the final note - long and high. With each step to the centre stage came another syllable in the verse, until there she was in broad daylight. She threw her arm in the air, pointing to the heavens, holding that high note with power and energy as the crowd around her cheered. And that's exactly when it happened.

There was a flash of light that could've only lasted about a second at most and yet when it was over, their idol Ai Mizuno was black, from head to toe. In the air was the pungent, haunting smell of burning flesh, smoke rising from her body. Silence. That was all the crowd could do apart from watch in horror, glowsticks dropping to the floor. Then the screams began. This time they weren't screams of joy, they were of fear, they were cries to help her. Boldly, two of the other members went running out onto that stage to catch their fellow idol, Kaoru and Miyu. They were noticeably panicking, begging Ai to wake up. An announcement went over the intercom:  
"We urge everyone to remain calm! We have just called an ambulance for Ai Mizuno and we ask the crowd to clear a path. All acts that were going to follow Iron Frill have now been cancelled. Refunds will be available from tomorrow. We apologise for any inconveniences."  
"Oh my god!" Satoshi had gone pale, unable to take his eyes away from the scene. "Is she going to be okay? Is she dead?"  
"Let's go," Inui murmured, already walking towards the exit. "Gawking is rude."  
The waver in his voice had said it all.   
"Inui? You don't sound alright. Wanna come back with us?" Hizaki asked him, clearly shaken.  
"No. Someone's gotta take my mom's car back," Inui replied, quiet and emotionless.  
"Okay. Have a safe journey. We'll let you know about any news with Ai if it doesn't reach you first."  
"Thanks."

The journey home, where Inui had expected himself to be giddy with excitement, was silent. His brain simply hadn't registered what had happened just yet. He didn't want to listen to anything. Not Iron Frill, not the radio, nothing. All the noise over the past few hours and all the commotion was just too much for him to handle. He hoped Ai was still alive, he really did. His hopes plagued him all night, searing themselves into his brain and leaving him unable to sleep. Was she alive? Was she dead? The answer awaited him in the morning.

  
She was gone.

  
Initially, Ai Mizuno had survived the lightning strike, but she had gone into cardiac arrest in the hospital and had died in her sleep. Every forum, every blog and news page Inui knew was plastered with the same headline: "Ai Mizuno Dubbed 'Legendary' After Fatal Lightning Strike". They were right. Ai Mizuno was legendary. In just a year, their group had become one of the most popular ones in Japan. That girl deserved to be a legend. 

  
Just not like that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> our poor boy.. he sure as hell isn't having a good time. sorry for the wait everyone, i've been super busy and haven't had as much time to write as i'd like. also, have fun guessing a. who satoshi and hizaki are, and b. who their names reference (hint. they're members from two different japanese metal bands)
> 
> i kinda wanna go with a "everyone is connected!" sort of thing for this fic, because y'know.. you kinda need incentive to bring back girls from the dead since the process can get quite messy


	4. Chapter 3 - The Downward Spiral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Afraid of more people around him dying, Inui isolates himself to avoid being hurt again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gahhhh I'm sorry for not updating in so long! I've been SUPER busy these past months and just got out of a really mean artist's block, but hopefully because of the summer break starting in two weeks for me I'll be able to update much more! Thank you soooooo much for waiting, it means a lot to me!

The lightning. The truck. His idol. His friend. The memories of it all were all he could think of. The nightmares kept him awake at night. Inui had lost so much in such a short space of time. Death seemed to follow him wherever he went, how long would it be before death took somebody else he loved?

  
_How long would it be before death took somebody else he loved?_

  
Just another thought in the pile, a pile that was only a few weights away from crashing down onto Inui. He wasn't the only who felt this way, either - Hizaki and Satoshi, though understandably estranged from him for a good month after the incident, felt there was some supernatural force acting on Inui.

  
"Maybe you angered a spirit and now they've got it out for you." said Satoshi over their Skype call. "Maybe you just have terrible luck."  
"Maybe. What do I do though? Sakura isn't coming back, nor is Ai."  
"I'm not saying you have to do anything. Could try going to your nearest shrine and asking for forgiveness, if it turned out you angered a spirit."  
"Dude, stop with the spirit thing. I don't think it's helping," said Hizaki, who until now had been relatively quiet. "Inui doesn't have bad luck, it's those girls. "  
"Fine, fine, I'll stop. Can't get rid of the possibility though." Satoshi sighed. "It's like Saga's got a curse or somethin'. You go there, you die!"  
"Could you be more insensitive?"   
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I just... don't really know what to say or do anymore. We loved Ai too, y'know?"  
"I know you did. Otherwise we wouldn't have gone to that concert," said Inui. "And Hizaki's right. Saga doesn't have a curse, Ai and Sakura both had terrible luck, and all this superstitious shit isn't helping. Thanks for apologising though."  
"'S okay, dude. I won't do it again."  
"Anyway, I'm gonna go. Romero's been barkin' at me for the past 10 minutes and if I don't feed him soon he's gonna bite my leg off. I'll talk to you guys later."  
"See you later, dude." the two said in unison, before Inui disconnected from the call.

Back in the silence, which bothered him once but now felt commonplace, even homely. As he said he would, Inui went downstairs and fed Romero, who seemed happier to see him than anyone else. Romero was a great friend. Always cheery, actually seemed to want to be around Inui, and didn't try to blame the grisly ends of people on spirits. Better yet, he wasn't dead. Inui was still in the depths of his despair about Ai and Sakura - he couldn't deny that they absolutely weren't coming back, but there was still a sense of emptiness in his heart. He'd been reading up on the stages of grief, and read that his feelings were likely going to last quite a while. Maybe months, maybe years. Either way, he would have to find some way to cope.

  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
The year was 2009. Contact with Hizaki and Satoshi had come to a near halt, Romero was sick and Inui had returned to his silence. After battling with his fears he found the courage to turn on the TV again, no longer worrying that he wouldn't suddenly be slapped with the death of another person he cared about. Everyone he knew was still in good health, except of course Romero, but he had no fear about him dying any time soon in all honesty. What scarce conversation Inui had had with Hizaki and Satoshi proved to be weighing him down - all they seemed to be able to talk about was the death of Ai, so he stopped talking to them. Understandably, Inui felt selfish for doing that, not to mention his loneliness only grew and grew - they were the only friends he had. In a way, he felt like he didn't really need anyone - just himself, Romero, and his movie collection.

  
_How long would it be before death took somebody else he loved?_

  
"My gooooood, shut up!" Inui shouted into the silence. "Who cares anymore? We all die, it happens to all of us so what's the point in sulking anymore?"  
Of course, nobody answered. Inui crashed back down, put his head in his hands, and took a deep, long breath.   
"What am I doing?" he asked himself. "Why am I such a wreck?"  
He rose once more, put on his shoes, and went out, taking Romero with him for company. Maybe he was just having really bad cabin fever - after all, it had been days since he left the house. A walk would do him some good.

  
Since Ai's death, Inui's life had never known peace. In a normal situation, he felt he would have recovered much sooner, but the added punch of her death being merely months after the death of Sakura rendered him useless. Now, being eight months after Ai's death and the anniversary of Sakura's having past just a week ago all the old feelings came rushing back. It was just a grim reminder that death was permanent, and death was selfish. It was also a reminder to stop by Sakura's grave, which Inui planned to do on the way home.

  
Silence. Solitude. It was strangely peaceful when Inui finally made his way to Sakura's grave. The streetlamps lit the way for him like some sort of macabre festival, the rustling leaves on the trees acting as a fanfair for his arrival. Inui found her headstone, and he sat down in front of it, breathing.  
"Sakura, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Inui whispered, struggling to get his words out. "Nobody saw it comin', least of all you. Well, they say death can come to us at any time, don't they?"  
Inui looked up once more, at the worn out photographs and the half wilted photographs others had left for his friend.   
"It's cruel, isn't it?" Inui's voice began wavering. "It wasn't like you deserved to die. You had so much going for you, and then out of the blue came that truck... I hope whoever was driving it is at least paying for what they've done."  
For a while, Inui closed his eyes, just giving himself space to breathe. This was the calmest he'd felt in months, yet there was still a sense of unease, a sense that something was wrong...  
"Ah, Romero!" Inui jumped up. The dog was nowhere to be found.   
"Sakura, I'm sorry I couldn't talk to you more. Romero's ran off again, but I promise I'll speak to you again soon! Now, I gotta go! Bye!"  
It seemed the nightmare never ended.


End file.
